1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the antisepticization and activation of drinking water, cooking water, juice water, tea (including coffee, black tea, cocoa, and oolong tea) water, alcoholic beverage water, juices, teas (including coffee, black tea, cocoa, and oolong tea), and alcoholic beverages; soy sauce, mirin (Japanese sweet cooking wine), and other brewed products; tomato ketchup; flower arrangement water; water used for cleaning and disinfecting hospitals and the like; water used in stock raising, feeding, agriculture and forestry, fisheries, and the like (water for raising aquatic animals and water for raising fish, for example); and other types of water, and to water-based fluids containing such water. The present invention also relates to a method and apparatus for breaking down, reducing, or removing trihalomethanes, dioxins, and other organic halogen compounds from water (tap water, for example) that contains halogen ions (chlorine ions), and water (well water, wastewater, and the like) that contains trihalomethanes, dioxins, and other organic halogen compounds, and to removing halogens (chlorine, in particular). As used herein, the term “activation” refers to the process of activating humans, animals, and plants that require water.
2. Description of the Related Art
Nitrite and/or sulfite is conventionally known to be added in small amounts to preserve water, wine, and other food products that contain water. However, drinks to which these preservatives have been added may degrade in quality and may cause nausea and other side effects when ingested in large quantities.
Nitrate ions are contained in rainwater (0.2 to 0.4 mg/L), upstream water of rivers and streams (0.2 to 1 mg/L), and downstream water (2 to 6 mg/L). Conversely, even if the water is groundwater that does not contain ammoniac nitrogen, for example, when the water makes contact with air above ground, the water rapidly absorbs ammonia in the air and comes to contain about 1 to 3 ppm of ammoniac nitrogen. Japan's rivers and streams also contain an average of 10 to 15 mg/L of SO4. In the case of tap water, since natural water containing about 1 to 3 ppm of ammoniac nitrogen is treated with chlorine, the nitrogen component in tap water is not present as ammoniac nitrogen, but is present in about the same concentration as sulfuric nitrogen.
Trihalomethanes, which are created in a reaction between disinfectant chlorine used for treating and/or sterilizing tap water and small amounts of organic substances present in water, are highly toxic to the human body, and are difficult to inexpensively break down or remove from water. Dioxins that are contained in well water and wastewater are furthermore particularly difficult to break down or remove.